Book Report:
Keys to Success by Napoleon Hill is a self help book designed to help the reader succeed at whatever task they have before them. The chapters are broken down into individual steps each with a self contained piece of advice that is relatively self contained but all advice in all chapters have a synergistic effect with one another. For example, defining purpose and making a plan is good even if the reader does not take care of their body and health.
Worth noting about this book is that Hill is not afraid to talk about or even embrace the darker side of human nature. Even in the first chapter, he states that all rewards are related to or derivations of
Self Preservation
Love
Fear
Sex
Desire for life after death
Freedom for mind and body
Anger
Hate
Desire for recognition and self expression
Wealth
This is particularly noteworthy because several self help books tend to read like they were written by a person who overindulged in drugs in the 60s. Talking about how the most important thing is love and to come together. This book is actually focused on results and is more than happy to say that often times in a situation like a start up, wealth is the primary motivator and that as a leader, you should be generous with that wealth not because it is the right thing to do but because it will inspire your team to make you more money. Even the chapter "Use Cosmic Habitforce" which definitely sounds like a Pink Floyd song written under the effects of powerful psychedelic drugs is just a chapter about how to use the fact that things are influenced by their environment to your advantage.
Another worthwhile thing to point out is that this book focuses on actually making a change to the personality of the reader. Many self help books are not actually meant to help anybody, they are meant to make the reader feel better about themselves and not actually improve anything. It is the classic 90's movie delusion of "Just be yourself and everything will turn out fine." Well I was an antisocial chain smoker who drank too much and was really mean to people for no reason other than mean spirited cheap laughs. My life turned around when I decided to actually make a positive step towards being a better person. Adapting my personality to the world instead of expecting the world to adapt to my personality and true to the promises made in Hill's book; it worked.
Many chapters of the book are like exactly what one would expect from a self help book as many characteristics of successful people are simple ideas but difficult execution. Chapters like going the extra mile are obvious but worth reminding the reader that working hard is a major component of success. Something difficult like running a marathon is not a difficult concept. Run until you cant run anymore for a few months and then on the day of the race, run 26.2 miles without stopping. Very simple concept but actually enduring the pain and agony of running every morning is brutal when Netflix and a soft bed are just a stones throw away
Overall, this book is the standard recipe for success with a health dose of honesty. It is focused on driving results and living a healthy lifestyle without pandering to the target audience of self help books. It reads almost like an academic study rather than something passed off to the run of the mill Barnes and Noble bottom feeder. Definitely a worthwhile read.
Critique:
When I first got the assignment to read a self help book, I was definitely not looking forward to it. Due to my narcissism I felt like it was going to be a stupid waste of time I do for the extra credit. I fully expected to read a bunch of things I know to be false about loving every part of yourself and how love conquers everything. However, I was pleasantly surprised as Hill's book was much more honest than any self help book has any right to be.
Hill is not interested in catering to anybody's feelings and gives people a no nonsense approach to achieving whatever the readers goal might be. He embraces the dark side of human nature without judgement and recognizes things like the fact that some people just want sex and money, not some high minded ideal about changing the world for the better.
Also the section that I really like was the one about taking care of your body. It is important to understand the relationship between one's body and one's mind. If you work hard and exercise to take care of yourself physically, you have a tendency to do better in all areas of your life. Having been in great shape as a collegiate tennis player and in terrible shape as am obese chain smoker, I understand this concept better than most and found Hill's thoughts to be spot on.
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